True North Initiative: News Scan 02 14 17

TOP STORIES

Canadian PM Trudeau says he won't 'lecture' Trump on US immigration policy

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the high ground Monday in Washington when asked about his country’s refugee policy compared to President Trump’s, saying he doesn’t “lecture” other countries. “I’m not going to lecture another country on how they govern,” Trudeau said at a White House press conference, when he and Trump were asked about their disparate immigration policies. (FOX) (Guardian) (BBC)

Trump defends travel ban as Trudeau looks on

President Donald Trump offered an unapologetic defense of his travel ban during a joint news conference Monday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying the US "cannot let the wrong people in." (CNN)

Trump vows to only tweak Canadian NAFTA provisions after Trudeau meeting

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won personal assurances from President Donald Trump during an Oval Office meeting on Monday that the United States only wants to tweak the North American free-trade provisions that govern commerce with Canada. Mr. Trudeau steered clear of controversial subjects – refusing to criticize Mr. Trump’s ban on Syrian refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries – opting instead to win the President over by convincing him Canada can help his economic agenda. (Globe and Mail)

Trudeau, Trump find common ground on economy and security, but remain at odds over immigration

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump found common ground on key issues such as boosting commerce and military co-operation, but the two leaders staked out very different stands on immigration policy. During a joint news conference following the pair's debut meeting, Trudeau carved out Canada's position as open and welcoming to refugees and immigrants without compromising security, while Trump defended his own hardline approach to close the door. (CBC)

Nearly 70 people seeking asylum in Canada were arrested over the weekend, adding to the small but growing number of refugees who are braving bitterly cold winter conditions to cross the border after Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily barring people from seven Muslim-majority countries. A spokesman for the Canada Border Services Agency said that 21 people were intercepted in Manitoba, while 46 others made claims at border crossings in Québec. (Guardian)

Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson has opened a second investigation related to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's vacation on the Aga Khan's private Caribbean island. The inquiry under the Conflict of Interest Code for MPs comes after Dawson conducted an initial review following a request by Conservative MP and leadership hopeful Andrew Scheer about Trudeau's acceptance of the trip as a gift. (CBC)

OTHER STORIES (Domestic and International)

No reports of refugees crossing into province outside of official border points: Sask. RCMP

RCMP in Saskatchewan said it has not seen refugees coming into the province outside of official border points, unlike in Manitoba and Quebec. According to a statement issued by RCMP released Monday, police have “not fielded any complaints in recent weeks of refugees crossing into the province anywhere other than a port of entry.” (Global News)

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said his government has been talking with the Prime Minister's Office about ways to deal with the rising number of refugees illicitly crossing the border from the United States. Pallister's words came soon after RCMP intercepted another seven people near Emerson, Man. — one of the hotspots in Canada that has seen a surge in people fleeing a potential crackdown on immigrants south of the border. (CBC)

U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed travel ban has led to a jump in the number of people crossing into B.C. and seeking refugee status. Protesters gathered at the Peace Arch border crossing Sunday to show their continued displeasure with Trump’s executive order, which among other restrictions aims to halt indefinitely the flow of refugees into the United States. (Global News)

Winnipeg charities appeal for financial help to support refugees

Welcome Place is asking for financial donations from the public and private sector to help house the increasing number of refugees trekking overland into Canada near the Emerson, Man., border. The Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council, which runs Welcome Place, said on Monday it has reached capacity at its three temporary housing units, which each have room for five people. (CBC)

Former top Trudeau aide joins law firm to help clients ‘navigate’ government regulations

A former senior aide to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has left the Prime Minister’s Office to work for a major law firm, where he will help clients deal with Canada’s “nuanced regulatory landscape.” Cyrus Reporter was chief of staff to Mr. Trudeau when the Liberals were in opposition between 2013 and 2015, and then a senior adviser in the PMO. In that role, he was specifically tasked with handling complex and controversial files. (Globe and Mail)

Immigration key to N.L.'s economic growth, says MUN prof

An associate professor at Memorial University says Newfoundland and Labrador's economic growth depends on immigrants. Tony Fang of Memorial University's economics department told CBC's Central Morning that the province's slow population growth — just one per cent between the censuses of 2011 and 2016 — should be a cause for concern. (CBC)

Supporters rally behind McGill student rep who called for Zionists to be punched

In this age of trigger warnings and micro-aggressions, a university campus is not where you would expect people to rally behind someone who called for physical violence. But after McGill University student politician Igor Sadikov last week used Twitter to encourage people to “punch a Zionist,” supporters have defended him while targeting Jewish students who support Israel. (National Post)

O’Leary displays modest French skills in Montreal debate, but is again the target of other candidates

Conservative leadership candidates had another chance to show off their ability in French Monday, at an unofficial debate that marked Kevin O’Leary’s debut en français. Eleven candidates took the stage Monday evening — in front of a raucous crowd that wasn’t afraid to heckle — at an event organized by two riding associations at a hotel in Montreal’s West Island suburb of Pointe-Claire. (National Post)

Sarah Palin won’t be named U.S. ambassador to Canada: official

The White House has assured Canada that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will not be appointed as U.S. ambassador to Canada. A Trudeau government official says that assurance was provided to Canadian officials during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to the White House on Monday. “It isn’t Sarah Palin,” the official said. (Globe and Mail)

North Korea Launches Missile Into Sea, First Since Trump Took Office

President Donald Trump vowed Saturday that the United States supports its ally Japan "100 percent" after North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the sea, in what appears to be its first missile test since Trump took office. (NBC)

FLYNN RESIGNS AMID RUSSIA CONTROVERSY

President Donald Trump's embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned following reports he misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia. His departure upends Trump's senior team after less than a month in office. (ABC)

EDITORIAL AND OPINION PIECES

Candice Malcolm: It's fine to report when a refugee's been charged with a crime

Are Canadian media outlets trying to cover up possible crimes committed by Syrian refugees in Canada? A man was arrested last weekend, after several teenage girls reported him to authorities at West Edmonton Mall. During a gathering for families that work at the University of Alberta, the man allegedly “both followed and inappropriately touched at least six teen girls while swimming in the park,” said police spokesperson Scott Pattison. Soleiman Hajj Soleiman, a refugee from Syria, has been charged with six counts of sexual assault and six counts of sexual interference. (Toronto Sun)

I have no problem with Canada accepting refugees. It is part of what we do — help folks fleeing war. What refugee programs are not for is helping people who walk across our border, illegally, from the United States of America. These people are fake refugees. They are fleeing a safe country, the United States, a country that follows the rule of law. (Rebel)

Ezra Levant: See what happened when Trudeau finally met Trump

Today Justin Trudeau finally made time in his busy schedule to visit the new president of the United States. Since Trump was elected back in November, Trudeau has visited Cuba, Argentina, Peru, Liberia and Madagascar. And while Trudeau was swanning around Havana, Trump was meeting with leaders like Theresa May of the United Kingdom, and more recently Japan’s Shinzo Abe and his wife. They spent a few days with Trump and his wife Melanie, meeting, golfing. (Rebel)

Liberal MP Iqra Khalid is considering softening the language in her so-called anti-Islamophobia motion, the Sun has learned. After Conservative leadership candidate and Ontario MP Erin O’Toole reached out to Khalid with his concerns, the controversial motion may be amended. (Winnipeg Sun)

Paul Wells: Trudeau gambles that getting close to Trump will pay off

If Donald Trump decides you’re not allowed in, you get nowhere with him. But if he accepts you, you actually have some latitude with him. Justin Trudeau decided early that he was better inside the door than out. (Toronto Star)

Newt Gingrich: Why Trump’s presidency will be great not just for America but Canada, too

The election of President Trump has created a great opportunity for America and Canada to make both of our economies more productive, accelerate economic growth, and enable our nations to compete more successfully in the world market. That is my first conclusion after talking with more than 70 Canadian CEOs in Toronto earlier this year. (FOX News)

Evan Solomon: Trudeau’s three-step plan to stay under Trump’s radar

The obsessive media focus on the first handshake—6.5 seconds—was the best indication of the collective anxiety leading up to the Trump-Trudeau meeting. Would the germaphobic President try to assert his dominance over the Prime Minister as he did with his Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch, using a fixed hand clasp followed by a condescending pat and then three quick, hard yanks? (Macleans)

Credit to Justin Trudeau — he played his hand well. Seeking ways to charm Donald Trump, he hit on the ideal solution — present this most conceited of presidents with a picture of himself. On their first call, Trump revealed he knew the elder Trudeau — a “dapper dude,” in the words of the president. Hence, when the prime minister arrived at the White House Monday, Trump was handed a picture of himself with Pierre Trudeau at a banquet in New York City in 1981. (National Post)

REPORTS, COMMITTEE HEARINGS, LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities meet later today to discuss Poverty Reduction Strategies (Public)